It is horrific to see such a large increase in the number of people dying in care homes, and it’s clear that the virus is having an even bigger impact on care home residents than was first thought.

The Government has been too slow to get to grips with this problem. Despite recent announcements, there is still complete confusion about testing, with care homes telling MPs they have been unable to access tests. The Government’s own Covid-19 recovery strategy can’t guarantee that every care home for the over 65s will even be offered tests until 6 June.

This is not good enough. Supporting people in care homes must be an absolute priority and the Government must now give social care the focus, resources and support it needs to stop the spread of this awful virus.

In my Leicester Mercury column this month, I talk about the unfolding tragedy in social care. The Office for National Statistics says that 5,890 people have so far died from Covid-19 in care homes, up until the week ending 24 April. That’s more than a third of all deaths from the virus in that period.

Each one of these deaths leaves a grieving family and friends. My heart goes out to those who’ve lost loved ones, and in my new role as Shadow Social Care Minister, I’m determined to do all I can to help bring these terrible death rates down.

That’s why I’ve made a number of practical proposals to the Government, to help protect care users and staff. These are in more detail in my column that you can read above.